Will Tillerson halt Iran’s uranium procurement from Russia?

Remember those side deals Obama forged with Iran that were not part of the text of the official treaty? Now we are finding out some of the details.

Yesterday, the Washington Free Beacon reported that Iranian officials confirmed they have received at least $10 billion in cash, commodities, and assets from Washington since 2013. And that is likely a conservative estimate.

But cash is not the only thing the Islamic Republic of Iran is receiving for gracing us with their willingness to sign onto our own capitulation. The Associated Press is reporting that Russia, with the support of President Obama, is shipping Iran 116 metric tons of natural uranium. While Iranian officials have obviously declined to disclose the use of such uranium, AP notes that this is enough to enrich weapons-grade uranium for nuclear bombs:

Despite present restrictions on its enrichment program, however, the amount of natural uranium is significant should Iran decide to keep it in storage, considering its potential uses once some limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities start to expire in less than a decade.

David Albright, whose Institute of Science and International Security often briefs U.S. lawmakers on Iran’s nuclear program, says the shipment could be enriched to enough weapons-grade uranium for more than 10 simple nuclear bombs, “depending on the efficiency of the enrichment process and the design of the nuclear weapon.”

The AP’s sources revealed that the Russian shipment was in exchange for Iran sending them 40 metric tons of heavy water used as coolant for nuclear reactors. The problem is that Iran’s production of so much heavy water is in itself a violation of the nuclear deal. However, a loophole in the agreement allows Iran to sell off its heavy water in excess of 130 metric tons on the international market. Obama has been rewarding their bad behavior by purchasing their heavy water. Now, Iran is taking the scam a step further by deliberately producing more heavy water than allowed under the agreement and then benefiting from the violation by using it to … purchase uranium!

Some nuclear deal we have going.

And what exactly is Iran doing with the new-found economic boon?

They are undoubtedly using the extra funds to grow their military and develop long-range missiles. Meanwhile, Iranian ships continue to harass us in the Strait of Hormuz.

Amidst the silly national debate over who is more pro-Russia, conservatives have an opportunity to put America first and stand against both Iran and Russia by ending the nuclear deal. Obviously, Democrats and the media are hypocritical when it comes to Russia because nobody is more pro-Putin than Obama. But that doesn’t mean Republicans should also start kissing up to Putin. It is time to chart a new course and fully abrogate the Iran deal, which shouldn’t have the force of law anyway because it wasn’t ratified by the Senate.

With Sen. Corker, R-Tenn. (F, 45%) which the Tennessee RINO personally enabled, it is important that the American people understand where Rex Tillerson, the incoming secretary of state, stands on this issue.

From the preliminary statements of Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee, it appears that the entire confirmation hearing on Wednesday will turn into a boxing match over who is more pro-Russia. Rather than defend Russia, Republicans should focus the hearing on learning more about where Tillerson stands on the Iran deal, as well as other important issues, such as the ridiculous two-state solution and refugee resettlement. If Tillerson can go on the record as supporting repeal of the Iran deal, then the entire Russia issue is moot because no puppet of Putin could support such a move. However, in the past Tillerson has expressed concern about the concept of sanctions.

If Republicans really want to shift to an America-first foreign policy, they shouldn’t get sucked into the false choice argument about being pro-Russia or being against Democrats. They should ensure that Tillerson plans to abrogate the Iran deal and then catch the Democrats who support the deal in the hypocrisy of being an enabler of Putin and the Ayatollahs as the same time.

Author: Daniel Horowitz

Daniel Horowitz is a senior editor of Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @RMConservative.